The Genie's Curse

Chapter 3: Wish

Evira and Allon were in the car sitting in front while Tsuru floated in the back. Lazily staring out the window uncaring of whatever truly lied outside as she was lost in her own thoughts. They had been traveling for a few hours discussing what to do with Tsuru, mostly Allon saying that they should get rid of her because she obviously meant bad omen or something.

"So, this is a car, right?" Tsuru asked breaking the silence that brewed between them. Her eyes drifting to Elvira's hands where her lamp laid, tempting to rip it out of her hands.

"That's right." Evira answered briefly looking at Tsuru through the mirror, when meeting her orange eyes seemingly glaring at her she looked away. So, with her hands shaking on the lamp she took a breath, "So my next wish..."

Before she could continue Allon interrupted even stopping the car in the middle of the empty road, "Wait how many wishes do we have left?" He turned in his seat looking from Evira to Tsuru.

"I told you already, I can grant an infinite number of wishes." Tsuru reminded tempted to tattoo it on his arm, was it so hard to remember?

"There's got to be a trick. Why would you grant us so many wishes?" Allon was questioning everything at this point thinking that she was probably playing tricks on them. He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel impatiently.

Tsuru was becoming more annoyed every time he opened his mouth, "Can't you just be grateful and move on? Besides all genie's have their own set of rules and quantity of wishes to grant." Genie's could all make up their rules once, and that was when they were 'introduced' to this wretched curse. Back when she chooses hers was a time where she still cared of those around her.

Someone she could barely remember now days; she had originally made her rules for a purpose she no longer served. She wanted people to have everything she could have never dreamed of possessing as a mortal. But now, she wished she could change the rules.

"I thought genies only granted three wishes." Evira spoke waving her hand with three fingers up, "Why do you grant more?"

"I'm generous," Tsuru stated simply not wanting to explain why that old superstition was so wrong and badly misguided humanity. At least they hadn't completely forgotten about genies though.

"But..." Allon was just about to ask something when Evira slams her hand on the seat.

Evira grinned like a fool for a good couple of seconds, "For my next wish, I wish for BRAVERY," with such a big mouth people would have expected something better of her.

A coward wanting to be brave, how amusing Tsuru thought. The fact that the girl screamed it was the bigger surprise, she expected more of a barely audible whisper.

Tsuru looked over at her and started laughing hysterically, like it was the best joke she'd heard in all her life, "I grant wishes, not miracles."

Evira's cheeks glowed red from the embarrassment, looking away and down at her hands brushing them around the lamp. She didn't say a word back, didn't even attempt to defend herself. Allon on the other hand was holding himself from laughing in her face.

Tsuru sighed bringing a hand up to her temple contemplating the situation, maybe she went a bit far with that one, "Bravery is something that has to be earned."

"No... that's not how this is going to work. Because you listen to me, I am your master... now grant my wish." Evira had attempted to put up a brave face only to shed tears in the end.

Tsuru resisted the urge to mock her, snapping her fingers, "Happy now?" Nothing was seen, no magical light to float around and make her way inside of Evira, no majestic sound, nothing at all?

"I am?" Evira told her, looking over herself trying to find some change in her, "Well, I'm going to test it at some point." She turned back to look at the road and Allon did the same the car moving once again from the spot it had been resting at.

The road had grown quiet again not a word spoken between them, just staring out the window all in their own thoughts. So much peace but it wouldn't last as long as expected.

"What's that?" They booth looked back at Tsuru who pointed at the old abandoned gas station runned down by age.

Evira was quick to answer her question when seeing what she meant, "Well it used to be a gas station."

"And that is used for?" Tsuru looked at it curiously like a child, but the realization of how much time she had been gone hitting her.

She was finally seeing all the changes in the world. Those years trapped in the lamp finally looking apparent.

Evira went on to explain, Tsuru's eyes glued to the place even as it disappeared in the distance. When Evira finished her explanation, she looked at Tsuru who was still staring back even when the place was no longer in sight. She would have said something but Allon pulled at her hand whispering to her to stay quiet.

He watched Tsuru by the mirror, her lost gaze making him question how long she'd been trapped. Even pity started to form, shaking his thoughts away he looked ahead.

Tsuru pondered on the place, imagining what other places she had been too looked like. Because if something she had never even seen was so old, just how would the things she did see look like now. Where they even still around? She had seen so many places come and go, but never had it impacted her as much as now.

"I prefer the pyramids, or maybe the houses you used to make jammed pack in a city." That's all Tsuru said, while still in her trance. Her memories starting to seem all so clear and vivid that it felt like torture.

"Did you ever meet a pharaoh?" Allon asked slightly interested in her response and attempting some friendly small talk.

"Yeah, they were pretty annoying. Always full of themselves...man they liked building statues." Tsuru chuckled, even remembering one of her many masters in Egypt. And she despised him... so arrogant and cruel. His death hadn't been a pretty scene, but what bothered her more was she didn't cause it.

Evira looked back at her, "How old are you?" Daring question indeed Tsuru thought. One that shouldn't have been made, especially to a genie who could take out her annoyance on the man besides her.

"You never ask that to a lady," Tsuru said scuffing at her, so the wish had worked... to her displeasure.

When analyzing the question slowly she began to question the answer. How old was she by now? Not a hint in her head to let her know just how long she'd been around.

Evira didn't say anything else until she fell asleep. Tsuru looked from the lamp to Evira for a few minutes with an internal debate on what she should do. Allon was clearly awake and alert. She could risk it and grab it, getting ready to mark havoc, or leave it as it is.

His eyes landing on her through the mirror like he'd heard her thoughts. He looked at Evira and back at Tsuru briefly, concentrated on the road ahead.

"What is she to you?" Tsuru asked seeing as he was too alert to fool.

"Cousins." He answered straight to the point.

Tsuru nodded not really caring just wanting to get him off her back. She needed him to let down his guard, and he didn't seem stupid. One wrong move from her and she could never get her hands on the lamp.

Allon gripped the steering wheel, "Now tell me, what are you trying to accomplish?" The silhouette of building becoming clear in the distance.

"Nothing at all." She watched him carefully, her eyes trailing off to the building a second. "Just don't want to end up in the dirt again." Tsuru said, not completely lying. Who would even want to spend another three hundred years in the ground.